The Crippled Billionaire's Revenge

Chapter 2

Tears spilled over without warning, drenching the pillow beneath my head.

Lily kept dabbing my skin with a warm cloth, but my body wouldn’t stop shaking.

The wedding I had spent five years dreaming about? Just a rung on Ethan’s ladder.

The car crash? No accident.

She had been paving his way all along.

The happiness I thought was mine? A carefully crafted illusion.

Between us, there was only deceit and agony.

I tried to force my eyes open, but the anesthesia dragged me under. Before they wheeled me into surgery, Lily pressed a feather-light kiss to the corner of my lips.

"Be strong, my love. It’ll be over soon. Harrison, I’ll be right here when you wake."

The cold surgical tools were nothing compared to the ice in my chest.

When I finally blinked my eyes open again, I was back in my hospital room, still immobile.

Lily sat at my bedside, her expression tight with worry. The second she noticed I was awake, she snatched up my hand and pressed it to her cheek.

"Harrison? You’re awake. How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

"If you’re in pain, tell me. I’ll have them adjust your medication."

She smiled, but the warmth I used to see in her eyes was gone. Hollow. Empty.

How far would you go for love?

I shook my head slightly, brushing a loose strand of hair from Lily’s exhausted face.

"You’ve been up all night, haven’t you? I’m fine. Really. You should rest."

Lily didn’t argue. The fatigue finally caught up with her, and within minutes, she was slumped in the chair, fast asleep.

I reached for her phone on the nightstand and unlocked it.

The wallpaper was still from our engagement shoot. The social media app was open in the background, and at the top of her messages, the contact name My Love glared at me.

I tapped it.

Aside from a flood of heart emojis, there were only pictures of Ethan cradling a little girl.

"Sophia asked for you again today. She’s only three, but she already knows her mom is the prettiest. She’s going to be just as vain as you when she grows up."

"Sophia devoured the cake you sent. Didn’t leave a single crumb."

"Sophia’s throwing a tantrum because she wants to go to the zoo with Mommy. I can’t calm her down. Come over when you can."

Lily hadn’t replied, but the two-hour video calls beneath each message spoke volumes.

I remembered her telling me she didn’t like children. Now I understood—it wasn’t that she disliked them.

She just didn’t want ours.

She had an entire album dedicated to Ethan.

The password? Sophia’s birthday.

Five thousand photos documenting every moment of the little girl’s three years. Lily had been there for every milestone, every birthday, every first.

The next conversation was with the wedding planner.

From the moment she started organizing the wedding a month ago, Lily had been using Ethan’s name.

The tuxedo was tailored to his measurements.

The invitations were signed in both their handwriting.

It hit me like a freight train—this wedding was never meant for me.

A bitter laugh escaped me. No need to dig deeper.

I set the phone down and dialed a friend, asking him to arrange a surgery for me overseas.

Then I requested he cancel all my identification documents back home.

My friend didn’t hesitate, assuming I’d finally seen through Lily. His voice brimmed with relief.

I dropped the phone and let the darkness take me again.